Z4 Buying Info.
Discussion
Hi peeps, keep dithering over the car choice. Was going for a new 997S, then a CaymanS, but of late I have decided not to blow '000's on cars anymore. So the Rangie is going (coz its just not being used enough) so I've been looking at Z4's. I know nothing about them but for £25k you seem to get an '04 3.0 SE. The M's are a little to pricey at the mo ~£35k, maybe if I wait, but can't be doing that, so for those that are in the know what are the must haves on the spec sheet?
G
PS It has to be the big engine!
G
PS It has to be the big engine!
I'd probably agree that the M Roadster is a bit steep at the moment. It's a better car, but it's not worth £12k (or 30%) over the 3.0i. It's also a lot more focused, so it's more "Performance" and less "Roadster" than the normal car.
The 3.0i comes with most extras that you'll need as standard (i.e. Leather, Sport Suspension). I'd go for the 18" wheels (not necessarily the Carrera rip-off split rims though
) but other than that it's just a case of personal taste.
At the moment you can get a mid-spec 3.0i from 2004 with about 10k on the clock for £23k. The problem is that the facelift models are about to hit the used market, which could make the decision more complicated as the 3.0Si has 30bhp more but will be quite costly to start with. I'd probably stick with the pre-facelift 3.0i, as it's a serious amount of car for the money.
However, if you're on the fence between a 3.0i and the M Roadster, you may want to consider the Alpina Roadster S. It was brought out when the Z4 was first launched as kind of a stop-gap until the real M Roadster was released, and consequently there's a lot of downward pressure on prices now the real deal is available on the used market. It's got an Alpina 3.4 straight six with 300bhp, so it's seriously quick, and it comes with pretty much all of the options as standard. It's not as hardcore as the M Roadster, more of a beefed-up 3.0i and the interior (complete with Alpina gren and blue contrast stitching!) is sweet.
As a final note, if you go for a test drive make sure you press the "Sport" button when you begin, it activates the warp drive.
The 3.0i comes with most extras that you'll need as standard (i.e. Leather, Sport Suspension). I'd go for the 18" wheels (not necessarily the Carrera rip-off split rims though
) but other than that it's just a case of personal taste. At the moment you can get a mid-spec 3.0i from 2004 with about 10k on the clock for £23k. The problem is that the facelift models are about to hit the used market, which could make the decision more complicated as the 3.0Si has 30bhp more but will be quite costly to start with. I'd probably stick with the pre-facelift 3.0i, as it's a serious amount of car for the money.
However, if you're on the fence between a 3.0i and the M Roadster, you may want to consider the Alpina Roadster S. It was brought out when the Z4 was first launched as kind of a stop-gap until the real M Roadster was released, and consequently there's a lot of downward pressure on prices now the real deal is available on the used market. It's got an Alpina 3.4 straight six with 300bhp, so it's seriously quick, and it comes with pretty much all of the options as standard. It's not as hardcore as the M Roadster, more of a beefed-up 3.0i and the interior (complete with Alpina gren and blue contrast stitching!) is sweet.
As a final note, if you go for a test drive make sure you press the "Sport" button when you begin, it activates the warp drive.
Errr... now you're asking!
Well they canned SMG and gave the steering wheel paddles to the auto box, but nobody really bought SMG anyway so that's only really an improvement of the auto.
In terms of the 3.0i to 3.0Si (the "S" signifies the change from 230bhp to 260bhp), there were some new colours (exterior and leather), and SE trim (which all pre-facelift cars bar some 2.0i's were) lost sports suspension. However they introduced "Sport" trim, which gives you the new design 18" wheels, sports suspension, M-Sports seats and an M Steering Wheel. In addition the radio was upgraded and plays MP3s and other stuff. I think there may have been some other minor tweaks too.
The rest of the range was shuffled more comprehensively, with the original 2.2i and 2.5i straight sixes being replaced by a de-tuned and up-tuned version of the 2.5i respectively.
Well they canned SMG and gave the steering wheel paddles to the auto box, but nobody really bought SMG anyway so that's only really an improvement of the auto.
In terms of the 3.0i to 3.0Si (the "S" signifies the change from 230bhp to 260bhp), there were some new colours (exterior and leather), and SE trim (which all pre-facelift cars bar some 2.0i's were) lost sports suspension. However they introduced "Sport" trim, which gives you the new design 18" wheels, sports suspension, M-Sports seats and an M Steering Wheel. In addition the radio was upgraded and plays MP3s and other stuff. I think there may have been some other minor tweaks too.
The rest of the range was shuffled more comprehensively, with the original 2.2i and 2.5i straight sixes being replaced by a de-tuned and up-tuned version of the 2.5i respectively.
The 230bhp figure is misleading, the engine is optimised for torque spread to it shifts a lot quicker than you'd expect from the headline power figure. You can tell by the 0-62.5mph of 5.9 seconds, a lot quicker than other vehicles with comparable power (S2000, Crossfire, Audi TT 225) and on a par with a 986 Boxster S, and that's got the benefit of the engine over the wheels.
That said, if you're worried about performance then the Alpina may be the way to go. At the moment main stealers are still asking £30k for them, but I expect that they'll drop to the mid-to-high twenties by early in the new year. I also forgot to mention that they've got blue instrument dials! Quality.
That said, if you're worried about performance then the Alpina may be the way to go. At the moment main stealers are still asking £30k for them, but I expect that they'll drop to the mid-to-high twenties by early in the new year. I also forgot to mention that they've got blue instrument dials! Quality.
Well after spending weeks looking at Porche 996 models & reading up about engine failures, depreciation hits at the mo etc, I decided to buy the car I test drove a year ago for the day ....the Z4 Roadster 3.0 SE . Just bought an 04 model today, with 17K miles, highly specc'd (leather, 18" alloys, hi fi upgrade etc etc.) , from a BMW dealer for just £20K. Very happy, as I know I have a performance car without all the worries 
Save some money & buy a similar aged car & let someone else take that hit on depreciation
Save some money & buy a similar aged car & let someone else take that hit on depreciation Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff